home-cooking

This is Why You Should Start Buying Figs Right Now

Figs are one of the most misunderstood, undervalued and intriguing fruits in the culinary world. From their various colors, shapes and sizes, it's easy to understand how this fruit could be intimidating. For one, it doesn't scream 'juicy and delicious' the way most fruit does.

Why? Because of its hard outer shell. This shell does soften as the fig progresses in ripeness, yet the confusion stays the same. Are these multicolored and sometimes misshaped oddities the secret to culinary success, or should they be on the list of forbidden fruit?

For starters, of course you can eat figs! This confusion likely stems heavily around the background of the fig. Yes, it's true that the fig is technically a type of flower in the scientific world, which harbors a fruit on the inside.

The thing is, pollinating a flower that's enclosed via hard-casing takes some thinking outside of the box, or the wings, if you're a wasp. There's a certain type of fig tree that has an ongoing relationship with a specific type of wasp to ensure and continue the pollination process.

Before you start running for the door -- or away from your neighbors fig tree -- fret not: you are not eating a wasp when you are eating a fig. The male figs are the ones which the female wasps crawl into to pollinate, thus giving life to the wonderment that are figs!

A photo posted by Tarik (@wandering_palate) on Nov 13, 2016 at 8:03pm PST

For some reason or another, figs have gotten a bad rap in the 'efficiency' category of the everyday kitchen. This idea likely comes from misinformation or lack of know-how when it comes to flavor pairings or even how to open one.

Here's the thing, and it's going to be a game-changer: not only can you cut one open, you can even bite directly into one, no preparation necessary. If that doesn't scream 'ease', then we don't know what easy is.

So, we've got our figs that we can use as snacks, or. . . as delectable appetizers wrapped in prosciutto. Get this: there's no recipe needed, either. You simply cut each fig in half, wrap them with prosciutto, drizzle with the oil and spices of your likings, and bake for five minutes.

Feel free to play around with your new kitchen staple that blends perfectly with goat cheese - meaning stuff the heck out of those figs and enjoy.

Other uses for figs include making jam, adding sweetness to a salad, and even baking a cake. The possibilities are endless, so what's cookin'?